Appalachian State, ASU top SBC poll

Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson led the Red Wolves to the Sun Belt Conference title last season, their fourth since 2011, but ASU was picked to fi nish second in the media’s preseason poll.
Arkansas State Coach Blake Anderson led the Red Wolves to the Sun Belt Conference title last season, their fourth since 2011, but ASU was picked to fi nish second in the media’s preseason poll.

Arkansas State and Appalachian State won't meet on the football field this season, but reporters who cover the Sun Belt Conference think those two teams will decide the league race for a second consecutive season.

Appalachian State narrowly edged second-place ASU in a preseason poll of media members, released by the league office Thursday.

Sun Belt Conference media poll

• A preseason prediction of the Sun Belt Conference football standings made by media members, with first-place votes in parenthesis.

  1. Appalachian State (5);114

  2. Arkansas State (5);110

  3. Georgia Southern (1);98

  4. Georgia State;73

  5. Louisiana-Lafayette;70

  6. Troy;70

  7. South Alabama;62

  8. Idaho;48

  9. New Mexico State;37

  10. Texas State;30

  11. Louisiana-Monroe;14

The Mountaineers, who finished 11-2 overall and 7-1 in the Sun Belt in 2015, earned five of the 11 first-place votes and 114 points to be tabbed Sun Belt favorites in 2016. ASU, which beat Appalachian State on its way to a Sun Belt title a season ago, also earned five first-place votes for 110 points.

The two teams have split the two meetings since Appalachian State joined the Sun Belt in 2014. But a schedule rotation will keep the teams from meeting this season. Instead, ASU will host Georgia Southern and play at Troy. Appalachian State will play New Mexico State and Troy instead of ASU and South Alabama.

Georgia Southern, which won the 2014 title and finished 6-2 in conference last season, earned the final first-place vote and 98 points to rank third. Georgia State earned 73 points and was picked fourth, followed by Louisiana-Lafayette (70), Troy (70), South Alabama (62), Idaho (48), New Mexico State (37), Texas State (30) and Louisiana-Monroe (14).

ASU returns 13 starters from a team that finished 9-4 overall and 8-0 in the Sun Belt, its fourth conference title since 2011. The Red Wolves lost their starting quarterback, leading rusher and top two receivers, the bulk of the offensive playmakers that set a Sun Belt record with 520 points last season.

The Red Wolves return seven starters, including its top three tacklers, from a defense that forced a Sun Belt record 34 turnovers in 2015.

Appalachian State returns quarterback Taylor Lamb, who threw a Sun Belt-best 31 touchdowns last season; running back Marcus Cox, who rushed for 1,423 yards; and seven starters on a defense that led the Sun Belt in yards (314.5) and points (19.1) allowed.

ASU will play Georgia Southern for the first time since it joined the league in 2014 Oct. 5 in Jonesboro. The Eagles are 14-2 in two Sun Belt seasons.

Sports on 07/22/2016

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